VST Piano Comparisons(Alicia's Keys, Grandeur, Maverick, UVI Grand, Ravenscroft, Keyscape)

[@JonathanSterling86]

I came here for the comparisons, but stayed for your playing

[@Johnmike]

Wow thanks!

[@matthewcolosus]

03:00 - Alicia's Keys 03:48 - The Grandeur 04:42 - The Maverick 05:20 - UVI Grand 06:06 - Ravenscroft 07:01 - Keyscape Great playing and thank you for the comparison!

[@pesto12601]

Funny - I downloaded each of these and I still couldn't play like you... what's wrong with the VST??

[@Johnmike]

🤣🤣🤣

[@fragmatic1964]

There is something about the timbre of the Ravenscroft example that reminds me of a lot of classic jazz recordings where the piano sits forward in the mix. It may be the mic position used or the room size of the reverb, but the Ravenscroft appears to be the brightest sounding piano in this video.

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Dude, you're playing is off the hook. Wow!

[@Johnmike]

Thanks!! 🙏🏾

[@d.winchester5625]

Yea!,bro Mike I just got the Rhapsody by Waves,I'm a drummer using A Daw,Very very very Awsome piano playing bro!,I love listening to U just play man!U make a grown man cry!🤢😃,U Make those Pianos sound good!,with your Gifted playing,God bless U Much,I have to follow u now!!!

[@djGreenALERT]

It's extremely tough to pick a winner out of these, because they all bring something slightly different to the table, and there are times where 'slightly different' is exactly what you need!

[@HyperNova137]

I've had Keyscape for a while now, and while having it paired with Omnisphere makes it the most versatile piano library out there, I recently took a liking to Alicia's Keys... It just has this charming balance between glassy brightness and weight on the lower keys that makes it sound more convincing somehow. But it's always interesting to see how widely people's opinions can differ on what a quality instrument can sound like; I've seen plenty of similar shootouts between various orchestral libraries and reverb plugins, and few people ever seem to agree on anything, lol.

[@tuneunleashed]

KEYSCAPE WHEN IT CAME TO RUNS woooowww!!! It has that old jazz Art Tatum kind of sound that’s reaallly good.

[@MartiniBlankontherest]

the body of keyscape and grandeur felt much more round and fluid. Of course it's all about tweaking and like you said "feel"

[@stamatisklonaris]

+There is something special on the Maverick. I like this sound the most

[@matiascova]

me too, it has personality. The grandeur its just the classic grand piano (I own them both).

[@uhoh007]

I agree

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

Agree

[@jonos138]

Agreed. It has a close sound to Eltons Piano on his Album Mad man across the water. Its in that ball park for me anyway.

[@stevelathem8814]

great job, I just added the ravens croft and am very happy, to me the middle is where lots of them are weak.

[@sebastienkeys]

you play so well that the comparison is not easy, you could make a 1990s clavinova sound great :)

[@pianoman2781]

uvi sounded ok to me. its almost up there with raven and keyscape but that keyscape make you want to do new stuff...lol...it breaks chains on the mind lol

[@wendyjensenmusic]

Thank you. I have the three pianos from Native Instruments but not a fan of it. From what I hear about the Ravenscroft, seems to be the way to go for a piano vst.

[@jonos138]

Yo Mike, Which Acoustic grand is that in UVI? They do a lot and just wondered what package that one came in? Thanks.

[@fingerwaves]

Keyscape is the Cleanest in terms of Right hand movement and runs... #Killin

[@TheWonderBoys]

Agree, keyscape is awesome

[@DesSherwoodGuitarTuition]

Good stuff John, very informative of the basic sounds;-)

[@rhythmcollect]

Thanks for this video. You play beautifully! Really talented.

[@Johnmike]

Thank you

[@jonathanwallace5140]

I think you need to look into Synthogy Ivory Pianos. I have all of those that you auditioned except the Ravenscroft 275. Ivory beats them all in my opinion. Keyscape and Alicia Keys are very close, but Ivory sounds closer to the real thing to my ears. Really you can't go wrong with any of them, I'm just saying that there's a reason Ivory keeps coming up in the comparisons. You should definitely check it out when you are able.

[@Roderick789]

Which one you have? I'm thinking on buying the American D. I have mixed feelings about the grand pianos. Because I feel that one is too old now.

[@Vestu]

Alicia's Keys sound the best. Grandeur close second, almost same.

[@robbiebaxter2726]

Grandeur sounds the best

[@Johnmike]

+Robbie Baxter one of my favorites

[@Vestu]

Alicia's Keys sound just a bit better

[@oldskoolfunkandsoul1]

@@Johnmike agreed..i like bright pianos..clarity with realism..and thats what granduer out ofthe box has over aleicia keys piano.

[@hakankutlu4154]

I choosed the Keyscape... Alicia Keys ok. UVI grand also good. BTW you play very well!

[@Johnmike]

🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@leejohnson197733]

I would like keyscape but the cost is crazy, maybe i cam find a other one for house music

[@Matt3l2775]

Which one would u say is better?? Keyscape piano, addictive keys, or noir

[@Johnmike]

Keyscape is my favorite

[@MPM-73]

Hi John, first, you play really great! Second, my Grandeur i purchased early doesnt sound much full like yours. Especiallly from the mids to the highs. What could be wrong? I have a Steinberg audio-interface and settings are 512 Samples.

[@Johnmike]

Could be the keyboard you are using...that has a lot to do with how the keyboard responds

[@MPM-73]

@@Johnmike hi Mike, thanks for your answer. I use a Kawai e-piano. I didnt thought that it could have something to do with key-response. I thought the quality of the samples could be the problem. To fix it for a better sound i combined it with an another piano vst which sounds better in the highs. Best wishes, Matthias

[@swytchinternational1189]

Killing bro 👍👍

[@patrox247]

Alicias Keys is kind of an old library, but dang it's really really good

[@den133]

Such a nice playing

[@Johnmike]

Thanks

[@leejohnson197733]

Do you do session work?

[@lucianoclaw]

UVI and Keyscape killing! i use and recomend

[@jonnyboy4music11]

The last two examples sounded like the Price is Right theme song lol

[@Johnmike]

+jonnyboy4music11 😂😂 didn’t think about that lol

[@kimwestwood8840]

Alicia's Keys sounds best in my opinion. Ever heard the grand piano in a Roland GR 55? Its a Steinway and sounds good but not much sustain

[@vichmora]

Thanks to your video i decided to buy the Ravenscroft 3 days ago and i am totally satisfied, if you want you can hear my last demos with differents settings (Etude de concert, Lado a lado, La violetera and People), regards!.

[@self4autism333]

Herbie said he would often play the rhodes with a vocalist as it didnt compete as much in the midrange. I would go the keyscape with vocals and the ravens in just a jazz trio gig. Oh and i would hire you for the gig, you play the best.

[@Johnmike]

Wow thanks!

[@tonylancer7367]

I don't know but I feel as if most gospel musicians who play keys like the Ravenscroft 275. Is it because it cuts through the mix or that it just a character that most don't have(it's brighter than most)?

[@Johnmike]

+Tony Lancer the character and tone...feels better when you are just chording around...but I like the warmth that keyscape brings

[@jazzkolo1582]

Where are you playing all these VSTs from, is it from mainstage 3 or logic?

[@Johnmike]

Studio one

[@jazzkolo1582]

@@Johnmike Thanks John, is it possible to layer sounds with the ravenscroft 275? For example, can I layer ravenscroft 275, strings and tinker bell to make one sound either from studio one, mainstage 3 or logic?

[@rhitosparsha]

@@jazzkolo1582 You can! Just put the different instruments in different tracks and you're good to go.

[@jazzkolo1582]

@@rhitosparsha fab! Thank you

[@TBb____]

Okay so I’m confused. I’ve recently learned about Keyscape. So I’m planning to every Sunday at church. Is purchasing keyscape sufficient or do I need mainstage also? I’m not certain if these must go in conjunction with one another?

[@Johnmike]

Main stage would be useful but now necessary...but it’s only $30 if you want to grab it...you can run keyscape in any recording program

[@TBb____]

So what DAW would you suggest?

[@nash5753]

@@TBb____ logic

[@TBb____]

@@nash5753 is this what you run? Key scape and logic? Also what computer are you on?

[@nash5753]

@@TBb____ yess I use both keyscape and logic. I run it through my MacBook Pro 13inch

[@PaulsonJeanty]

Awesome intro!

[@crystalveil3213]

beautiful

[@jasonshrestha]

which midi keyboard are you using John? Great comparison video!!

[@jordan6988]

MAUDIO Keystation 88

[@Teacher_Low]

U r pretty good at those fancy chords progression.

[@TimE_5150]

Great video John Mike, I own every one of these as well Except the UVI Grand. Ravenscroft 275 is the last one I got and it took me 3 days to get going. I was told that the standalone interface does not work with Sierra (Mac). And I am totally disappointed with it. It sounds like garbage. I will try to work on it but nothing like it sounds on this comparison video.

[@pianoman2781]

where do you go to get the alicia keys piano and how much does it cost

[@Johnmike]

Native Instruments website...if you google “Alicia Keys Piano” it should be the first link

[@ResonantP]

Can you open UVI grand without a DAW?

[@Johnmike]

Yes...UVI workstation works standalone

[@Lyabdourahmane]

I don’t know which one is the best.So i’m gonna download all of them😂

[@tuantranproduction]

Maverick sounds the most neutral to me

[@MrG2c4]

Can you do a video similar to this but for iOS piano apps? Comparing different apps.

[@Johnmike]

Garixe Cancinos yes I have that coming soon! Just got a few more videos to work through

[@MrG2c4]

Awesome! Keep up the great work. Dope informative stuff

[@jspain61]

Hey bro, is studio better than Mainstage 3?

[@Johnmike]

+InChristForever jesusc11111 better with CPU...but not better with using multiple keyboards and midi mapping and all of that...I still prefer either mainstage or reason for live use

[@marqnmphs]

Ever heard of Cinesample's Piano in Blue. It sounds beautiful. It also only cost $99. Check it out if you can. It's being totally slept on.

[@Johnmike]

+marqnmphs I’ve seen that one...I’ll check it out!

[@israeljohnson3844]

Yea that’s my favorite right now!!

[@khumbomhango1528]

Piano in Blue is nuts..what a VST.

[@JulianFernandez]

thx !

[@vstories9019]

What I have is the best! I have ...

[@garyk4225]

Wow nice comparison... How do you get the vst sound good? I have the same VST but the sound quality is different. Do you tweak any EQ in the DAW or any tips?

[@Johnmike]

No I didn’t tweak anything for the video...but the way a VST sounds depends on a few things...the type of speakers they are coming out of...the type of mixer you may have...type of interface you are using...the type of cables you are using...the type of keyboard that you are using to play them...even the acoustics of the room that you are playing them in..so to get a good sound you have to get the right combination of all of these variables

[@garyk4225]

@@JohnmikeI see..Thanks a lot, do low specs laptop generate poorer sound than the highers specs? I use printer cable to connect my digital piano to laptop, is it okay or do I have to change to a better cable?

[@Johnmike]

Gary K what kinda computer do you have and what specs?

[@garyk4225]

@@Johnmike AMD quadcore A10 7400 with 4 GB of RAM, how is it?

[@gabrielpiano7]

Yo hice varios versus entre pianos y me quedo con Keyscape :)

[@mariuscarter6735]

Keyscape and ravenscroft are the best

[@joeschneider67]

Would you please play simple so we can heard more details about the pianos? Is pointless to go crazy on scales , we need to listen the different speeds and layers of such sounds.

[@Johnmike]

Joseph Schneider I’ve learned it’s difficult to please everyone on the internet realm...if I play too simple you have those that say “hey it’s really too simple I want to hear someone really dig in and play some phat chords so I can see how it sounds” then if I play some nice phat warm chords and scales you have those that say “hey man you are playing too complicated” and then if I take the time and play both simple and complicated then the video is super long and folks then complain that the videos are too long ha ha! What’s a guy to do eh!? 🤷🏾‍♂️🤣

[@pianoman2781]

and ravenscroft

[@kelef666]

Awesome playing! I have the Grandeur and I love it but no matter what I do it always distorts in small speakers (phone, tablet etc...) It doesn't matter if I EQ/Compress or do nothing, it ALWAYS distorts.... I'm using Cubase with a Steinberg interface, playing on a Korg Triton Extreme keyboard, at 96khz/32bit float... Do you or anyone else have any idea what could be wrong?

[@MrHans-iy5lq]

hey did you solve it?

[@pianoman2781]

limitations lol to me. you sounded like you was flying to heaven when you got on the keyscape lol

[@guinhomusico9504]

Very nice video! Please: 💻🎹Addictive Keys? 💻🎹Sampletank 3 (piano expasions)? 💻🎹Synthogy Ivory? 📲🎹CMP Crudebyte Piano (white piano expansion)?

[@Johnmike]

+Guinho Músico I’ll Check these out

[@reltius2993]

Ravenscroft was definitely my least favorite. The others were closer to each other.

[@pierrepierre7594]

Grandeur

[@leepride7978]

Heard clicking and popping with UVI and Keyscape. Heard a skip with Ravenscroft. Am I right? That means memory will be an issue. I have Maschine w/ Komplete Ultimate on a MacBook Air. I known when my CPU is taking a hit. Roland Cloud is SO f******** taxing!!!! But I don’t want clicking and popping during a performance. Grandeur and its many presets are for me.

[@rhitosparsha]

What are your specs? Agree that all of the Roland Cloud stuff kills the CPU.

[@leepride7978]

@@rhitosparsha MacBook Air i5; 1.8GHz; 8GBRam. I want to overlock this

[@rhitosparsha]

@@leepride7978 I have a laptop running Windows with similar specs. I haven't tried the Ravenscroft or Keyscape, but Grandeur runs fine. I only have issues with my slow 5400RPM hard drive. About Roland Cloud, I can run upto 8 instances of the JV-1080. Anything beyond that, the CPU suffers.

[@leepride7978]

@@rhitosparsha I was running the 5080, D-50 and the Zen synth. I got Rhodes Affair 2 and never used the Roland stuff again. RA2 and the Triton used very little CPU. Whenever I used the Juno or the Jupiter my meter would jump to over half for just choosing it!! I’m about to get the Aurturia Suite. And I’ll upgrade to Komplete 13 after Thanksgiving. I already have tons of sounds I’m not even using or aware of. With those two having Roland Cloud will be unnecessary.

[@rhitosparsha]

@@leepride7978 Haven't geard of Rhodes Affair 2. I can attest that the Triton VSTi uses much less CPU. Even the most complex Combis on the Triton use less CPU than simple patches on the XV-5080 and the JV-1080. And even though I don't have the full Arturia collection, I have Analog Lab 4. Apart from their Piano V2 instrument, all the other stuff has quite low CPU usage.

[@marqnmphs]

In your words "It's pretty dope" LOL!!!

[@Johnmike]

+marqnmphs 😂😂

[@princemasih7684]

Keyscape

[@David-hs1bu]

cant tell shit with all this shredding.

[@mollykeyzz8330]

i hvae grandeur but never satisfied anymore after hearing pianoverse .....Theres no real piano like if it doesnt have different character to it....Noir Gradeur and others do sound alike until l heard pianoverse

[@pianoman2781]

keyscape beat them all by far